Boom missile loader



June 13, 1961 F. EATON BOOM MISSILE LOADER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April12, 1960 FIG. 2.

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F. N. EATON BOOM MISSILE LOADER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 13, 1961 V HO FSOL V 32 E i-=5- HG 7 72 |O8+ v I02 SOL 94 l P 5 i FIG 8 T 1 9 6'INVENTOR.

FREDERIC N. EATON I00 y .M&v

ATTORN E'Y atent Patented June 13, 1961 of the Navy tary Filed Apr. 12,1960, Ser. No. 21,841

6 Claims. (Cl. 891.7) (Granted under Title '35, US. Code (1952), see.266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by orfor the Government of the United States of America for governmentalpurposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

This invention relates to material handling apparatus and moreparticularly to apparatus for transferring rocket propelled missilesfrom a position, such as adjacent the deck of a ship, to a missilelauncher disposed on the deck.

The type of missile assembly to be handled by this invention comprises atorpedo, a separable air frame and a rocket motor adapted to project theassembly from a shipboard launcher through a desired ballistictrajectory, after which the air frame separates from the torpedo and thelatter falls into the sea, checked in its descent by a parachute, afterwhich the parachute separates at water entry and the torpedo searches oris otherwise directed to a target.

The launcher for the missile comprises a mount aflixed to the deck of awarship and trainable in azimuth, like a gun turret, which carries fouradjacent launcher housings, each comprising a pair of superposed cells,each cell containing a guide or launching rail, the four housings beingindividually trainable in elevation about a common horizontal axis.

Each missile is provided with a pair of longitudinally spaced upwardlyprojecting lugs, which must be loaded onto the mating launching rails ofthe launcher from the breech (rear end) of the latter. During theloading of each missile onto its launching rail it is essential that thelaunching lugs be axially aligned with the launching rail in a positionto the rear of the launcher after which the missile is moved forwardlyand transferred to its loaded position on the launching rail. Since thebases of both the launcher and handling apparatus are fixed above thedeck of the ship it becomes apparent that eight different relativepositions of the launcher parts and handling equipment parts must beestablished so that each missile may be rectilinearly moved to itsproper position.

The prior art apparatus for attaining this loading operation comprises ahydraulically operated vertically telescopic column, the upper end ofwhich carries an extensible loading rail, pivoted between its ends tothe upper end of the column in such manner that the rail may be bodilyraised or lowered and rotated about a vertical axis and also rotatedabout a horizontal axis at its pivotal connection to the column. Theextensible rail is supported at one side of the column thus placingeccentric loading on its telescopic bearings producing binding effects,particularly when operation is desired during rolling and pitching ofthe ship. The apparatus is also unduly heavy, difiicult to stow when notneeded, hazardous in operation, costly to fabricate and provided with nomeans for alignment adjustment in picking up or capturing a missile froma sloping deck.

The principle objects of the invention are to obviate disadvantages ofthe prior art and provide a loader which is more simple and less costlyin construction and maintenance, requires less space in its operatingand stowed positions, is less hazardous in operation, more versatile inuse, and provides greater ease of operation.

Further objects, advantages, and salient features will become moreapparent from the description to follow, the

appended claims, and the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective of the subject of the invention shown in itsrelationship to a missile launcher;

FIG. 2 is a top plan of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side elevation, partly in section, of the portionindicated by arrow 4, FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side elevation of the portion indicated by arrow5, FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross section taken on line 6-6, FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged side elevation of the portion indicated by arrow7, FIG. 2, and

FIG. 8 is the hydraulic system.

Referring now to the drawing, and particularly to FIG. 1, the subject ofthe invention comprises, in general, a base support 10, fixed above thedeck of a ship, which supports a cantilevered boom 12, pivoted abouthorizontal axis 14, and a transfer member 16, pivoted to the boom abouthorizontal axis 18. The boom and transfer member carried by it may berotated about vertical axis 20 and the transfer member may be rotatedrelative to the boom for alignment purposes as will hereinafter morefully appear.

Referring now to FIG. 4, support 10 comprises a tube 22 having -a flange24 bolted to deck 26 in which is journaled a tube 28, the bottom wall 30of which supports a single acting hydraulic piston type actuator 32pivotally connected at its lower end to base 30 by a pivot pin 34. Asuitable radial thrust bearing 36, disposed between the support and wall30 transfers the weight of all of the movable parts of the apparatus tothe ship and a suitable bushing 38 is also subjected to the radialforces of such apparatus. An end plate 40 is provided on the upper endof tube 28 which carries a pair of spaced ears 42 to which the boom ispivoted by a pivot pin 14A for movement about horizontal axis 14. Apiston rod 44 is pivotally connected at its upper end to similar ears onthe boom by a pivot pin 45. A gear 46 is aflixed to the upper end oftube 22 which meshes with a pinion 48 rotated by a shaft 50 whichprojects from a speed reducer 52 carried by plate 44) which contains amotor (not shown) for rotating the pinion by power and a hand wheel 54for manually rotating the pinion. As will be apparent, when pinion 48 isrotated the boom will rotate about vertical axis 20 and when piston rod44 is raised or lowered the boom will rotate about horizontal axis 14.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a machine guide 56 is pivoted at its forwardend to boom 12 by ears 58 and a pivot pin 60 which extends through theboom. Similar ears 62 are provided at the rear end of the machine guide,as best shown in FIG. 6, which engage a similar pivot pin 64 which maybe raised or lowered by a hand wheel 66 which is secured to a screw 68threadedly engaging a nut 70 which carries pin 64. As will be apparent,when hand wheel 66 is rotated, the machine guide will rotate about axis18 of pivot pin 60, thus providing limited angular adjustment of theguideway relative to the boom.

Transfer member 16, having afiixed guide rails 57, is rectilinearlyslideable in machine guide 56, as shown in FIG. 6, and may be movedrelative to the boom by a hydraulic actuator 72, contained within theboom, its piston rod 74 (FIG. 5) being pivotally connected at one end tocars 76 carried by the transfer rail. This actuator is of the doubleacting type which enables movement of the transfer rail in oppositedirections 'by fluid under pressure.

Transfer member 16 is provided with a T-slot guideway 77, 77A betweenits ends and adjacent its lower face, as best shown in FIG. 6, whichslideably receive a pair of longitudinally spaced T-shaped launchinglugs 78 which project upwardly from the missile 79. To permit loading ofthe lugs into the guideway a portion 77B of the guideway is pivotallyconnected to it and may be moved to the dotted line position, FIG. 6, topermit the guideway to be lowered to a position over the lugs. Slightrelative lateral movement of the lugs and guideway permits engagement ofthe lugs in the continuous guideway 77 after which hinged portion 77B ismoved to the full line position in FIG. 6 and latched in such positionby camming clamp dogs 82.

The mechanism for sliding the missile lugs along the transfer membercomprises an endless chain 84 which extends around sprockets 85, 87disposed at the front and rear ends of the transfer member which carriesa projecting finger member 86, slideably carried by guides 77, 773,which engages the rear end of missile 79. A suitable motor 88 rotatesthe rear sprocket S7 in either direction. The front end of the transfermember is provided with a pair of laterally spaced forwardly open forks90, FIGS. 2 and 7, which engage a pair of similarly spaced pins 92,carried by the launcher, which may be positively latched to the pins byany suitable latch mechanism 94. When latch mechanism 94 is moved tolatched position a normally open switch 96 is closed for a purpose to behereinafter described.

The hydraulic system for operating the apparatus so far described, showndiagrammatically in FIG. 8, comprises a sump 100 which supplieshydraulic fluid, such as oil, to a motor operated pump 102 and a bypasshand operated pump 104, employed in case of motor pump failure or formanual operation, these pumps selectively delivering fluid to a valve108, communicating with actuator 32 which raises boom 12 or permits itto lower by force of gravity, depending upon its particular position. Asimilar valve 110 is provided for operating double acting actuator 72 ineither direction. Switch 96, previously referred to, opens a normallyclosed solenoid operated valve 112 when the switch is closed byoperation of latch 94, providing communication between opposite ends ofactuator 72 which then serves as a dashpot to permit the actuator tomove independently of operation of valve 110. A similar valve 112 issimultaneously opened by the closing of switch 96, which permitsactuator 32 to move independently of valve 108. Valve 112 is preferablyof the bleed type which will permit fluid to flow between actuator 32and sump 100 and also limit the rate of flow to thus prevent rapiddownward movement of its piston and the boom actuated by the piston.

In the operation of the apparatus, a missile 114, contained within awheel or caster supported missile shipping container 116 is disposed ata suitable location on the deck of the ship. With transfer member 16 inits retracted position the boom is lowered over the missile with hingedportion 77B in its open position. The spaced launching lugs on themissile are then disposed within the continuous guide rail and thehinged portion is closed and latched to thus capture the missile formovement by the boom. The boom is then swung in azimuth by operation ofmotor 52 and the boom raised by actuator 32 to a desired position abovethe deck at which convenient connection can be made between forks 90 andpins 92 on the launcher. While these operations are taking place thelauncher is being rotated in azimuth and elevation for the particularcell to be loaded. The transfer member is new extended until forks 90engage pins 92 and latch 94 is secured, closing switch 96. The launcherhousing and boom are now in their final positions of azimuth but are notyet aligned in a vertical plane. Since movement of the boom and thetransfer member may now move independently of operation of their controlvalves the vertical movement of the launcher cell will now raise theboom and also translate the transfer member carried by the boom. Whenthe transfer member and the launcher rails within the cell are inalignment the missile is ready for ramming into the cell. Motor 88 isthen operated and finger 86, which engages the rear end of the missile,rams the missile forward, transferring it fiom the transfer member tothe launching rail. This procedure is repeated for the various launchingcells and as will be understood, the particular angles of azimuth andelevation at which ramming will occur will vary for the various cells.Suitable indices on the launcher (not shown) and indices 118, 120 on theloading apparatus are provided so that desired cell positions may bematched to desired positions of the loading apparatus.

The loading operation just described is based upon the assumption thatthe transfer member will always capture a missile on deck in preciselythe same position in space. When this position is varied, which may becaused by slope of the deck, a slight adjustment may be necessary tofacilitate its capture. In such event handwheel 66 is operated to rotatethe transfer member relative to the boom and thus permit the plane ofthe transfer member to be varied relative to the deck of the ship. Index122 provides means for determining the angle of this adjustment.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. In a shipboard missile launcher of the type having a deck mountrotatable about a vertical axis and a plurality of parallel laterallyadjacent superposed pairs of cells carried thereby for individualpivotation of each pair about a common horizontal axis, each cell havinga launching rail extending between its muzzle and breech ends, eachmissile having a pair of longitudinally spaced upwardly projectinglaunching lugs adapted to be rectilinearly guided along a launchingrail, the improvements comprising; apparatus afiixed to the ship anddisposed above said deck for transferring missiles from adjacent saiddeck to said cells, said apparatus comprising a boom pivoted at one endthereof for movement about horizontal and vertical axes, an extensibletransfer member carried by said boom extending in the same longitudinaldirection thereof, means for extending and retracting said transfermember, a guide rail carried by said transfer member engaging themissile lugs for slideably guiding a missile from the guide rail to thelaunching rail of a launcher cell, means for moving the missile alongthe guide rail, and means for removably latching the outermost end ofsaid member to the breech end of a launcher cell in a position such thatthe guide rail forms a rearward extension of the launching rail within acell.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 including means for adjustingsaid transfer member relative to said boom about a horizontal axiswhereby the guide rail carried by the transfer member may be disposed atvarious angles relative to the deck of the ship.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for extendingand retracting said member comprises a double acting hydraulic actuator.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 including a hydraulic actuatorfor moving said boom about its horizontal axis of movement.

5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for extendingand retracting said member comprises a double acting hydraulic actuator,a hydraulic actuator for moving said boom about its horizontal axis ofmovement, a source of fluid under pressure for operating both of saidactuators, and means adapted to be operated upon latching of said memberto a launcher cell for rendering said source of fluid inoperative foroperating said actuators and for converting both of said actuators todashpots, whereby vertical movement of a cell may move the boomvertically to align a launcher rail with the guide rail and saiddashpots prevent rapid descent of the boom and rapid retrograde movementof the transfer fer member, an endless chain trained around saidsprockets, means carried by the chain for engaging the missile,

and means for rotating one of said sprockets in opposite directions forrotation.

No references cited.

